The Best Preparation for a Meaningful Christmas

Generations ago, here in Maine, I imagine one way mothers prepared their daughters for life was by teaching them how to make a good chowder. They would have needed to learn how to regulate the heat on a wood-fueled cookstove, and if they wanted to eat in February, they would have needed to learn how to preserve the harvest in September and October.

I expect that Anna, the New Testament prophetess from Luke 2, would have been prepared as a girl for the duties of a faithful wife in much the same way. But nothing could have prepared her to be widowed after only seven years of marriage. She was likely barely twenty years old.

Did she return initially to the house of Phanuel, or did she go immediately to the temple? Luke doesn’t tell us how much time elapsed or whether she fled to the temple in desperation or chose her secluded life as the next step in a life already devoted to Yahweh. We do know that her life of worship prepared her for the gift of bearing witness to the arrival of the True Light of the World.

Whenever I sit with my Bible open to the pages between Malachi and Matthew, I marvel at the faith of people like Anna and Simeon, Elisabeth and Zechariah. They were the faithful ones who persevered in believing God would send a Rescuer—despite all evidence to the contrary. Their life under the boot of Roman conquest, even with the Pax Romana in effect, offered no sign of the Prince of Peace on the horizon.

But then, suddenly, there he was! Anna’s eighty-four-year-old eyes may have been cloudy with age, but she was prepared to see what she had spent most of her life waiting for! Her practice of worship had sharpened her spiritual eyes. “She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day” (Luke 2:37).

Anna’s eighty-four-year-old eyes may have been cloudy with age, but she was prepared to see what she had spent most of her life waiting for! Her practice of worship had sharpened her spiritual eyes.

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Worship as Preparation

Why is it that during one of the holiest seasons on the church calendar, we find it so hard to stop and worship the God we’re celebrating? Even with all the extra baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating, and church events, is it possible to follow Anna’s example of worship so that we have a clear vision of Christ, our Rescuer? I have three tiny suggestions for you to consider:

Stay Close to The Story

There are dozens of narratives competing for your attention in December. There’s the retail narrative of shop till you drop; the Netflix and Hallmark narratives of “amusing ourselves to death”; the Instagram narrative of over-the-top home decor and stunning menus; and even (heaven help us) the church narrative of musical productions, pageants, and something scheduled every Saturday in December.

We must proceed with caution through this gauntlet and guard our spiritual disciplines fervently, especially during the Christmas season. Staying close to the real Story of Christmas (that actually started in the book of Genesis) is the key to maintaining a heart of worship.

Grab Silence Wherever You Can Find It

I remember the bedlam of life with four sons and a very large dog. Silence was in short supply during those years, but even with homeschooled children ever-present in our homes, it’s not unrealistic to find five minutes of quiet. I just read Luke 2 aloud, the passage where we find Anna’s story, in under five minutes.

Longer times are nice, but five minutes is better than no minutes. During busy seasons, we can carry 3×5 cards in our pockets with verses like Isaiah 9:6, Titus 3:4-5, or Romans 8:32. This keeps us close to The Story and puts parentheses around a moment of worship, including a brief prayer thanking God for his unspeakable gift.

Remember Your Why

Every single thing we do, from the mundane to the extraordinary, can be an act of worship if we are doing it “as working for the Lord.” (Colossians 3:24) Decorating your home for Christmas becomes a visual representation of your family’s heart preparation for Jesus’s birthday celebration. The gingerbread cookies you bake for your third grader to share with her class remind you to pray for the kids’ eyes to be opened to the true meaning of Christmas. Church and community celebrations are your 21st-century opportunity to join faithful Anna in giving “thanks to God and [speaking] of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem”—or even to those who aren’t waiting but should be.

Yes, we have too many things to do in December, but remembering why we do them, folding them into a lifestyle characterized by worship, they can become a means of turning our eyes toward the true Light of Christmas. May God help us to follow Anna’s example as we celebrate Christ’s birth and wait with perseverance for his second Advent.

3 tiny suggestions for meaningful worship during Advent: 1. Stay close to The Story; 2. Grab silence wherever you find it; 3. Remember Your Why.

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Holding You in the Light,

The Advent Series—2025

Looking for a Devotional Plan for Your Advent Season?

This four-part series for Advent features Isaiah’s prophecy of a coming Messiah. Together, we remember that Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor with Supernatural Wisdom. He is our Mighty God, unlimited in His Ability to do what He wills. He is the compassionate Everlasting Father, the Giver of good gifts, and Jesus is the Fountain of deep well-being, our Prince of Peace. CLICK HERE to begin reading.

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Photo by Laura Nyhuis on Unsplash